Swiss tune in to Jagged Harmonies

Dominique de Rivaz's Jagged Harmonies - Bach vs Frederick II (Mein Name Ist Bach) has won the top award at the Swiss Film Prize 2004.

Sold internationally by Bavaria Film International, de Rivaz's feature debut won in the best film category. It had its world premiere at last August's Locarno International Film Festival.

The film tells the story of Johann Sebastian Bach's meeting with Frederick the Great of Prussia. In 1747, the composer was ordered to the royal court to meet the brilliant, gifted young monarch who acknowledged genius in others yet could not bear to have it overshadow his own.

At the awards ceremony at the Solothurn Film Days on Wednesday (21 Jan), the prize for best documentary went to Jean-Stephane Bron's Mais Im Bundeshuus - Le Genie Helvetique, while the best short film prize was presented to Frederic Mermoud for L'Escalier.

The prizes in the Best Lead Role and Best Supporting Role categories went to Bettina Stucky (Meier Marilyn) and Gilles Tschudi (Jagged Harmonies) respectively.

The newly established Jury Prize, which was created to recognise "an outstanding cultural contribution" in one of the nominated films, went to casting director Corinna Glaus for her casting for the local box-office hit Achtung, Fertig, Charlie!.

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